Study: CEO Signature Size Indicator Of Narcissism

Does your boss have a big signature? Better watch out for an even bigger ego. A new study that compared the signatures of 605 US CEOs found larger signatures are a good indicator of narcissism. The study, conducted by three professors at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, also found CEOs with larger signatures are also more likely to run a company into the ground, yet “enjoy higher compensation, both unconditionally and relative to the next highest paid executive at their firm.”

The study’s authors—professors Charles Ham, Nicholas Seybert and Sean Wang—define narcissism as a type of egotism associated with conceit and a disregard for others. They not only have a heightened opinion of themselves and their own abilities, but also a tendency to belittle the abilities of others. They are also likely to reject or ignore feedback that could improve their own performances.

The authors obtained the signatures from annual reports filed by S&P 500 companies through July 2011. They then used a customized software program to impose a rectangle on each signature to measure its area, taking into account the number of letters in each signature. They also relied on findings from psychological literature that a bigger signature typically equates to a bigger ego.

But narcissism experts James Westerman and Jacqueline Bergman from Appalachian State University disagree with the study’s conclusions. They believe other factors, such as high self-esteem and an extroverted personality can also determine signature size. They also question how a CEOs large signature can predict a company’s poor performance. For example, if high self-esteem leads to an executive’s larger “John Hancock,” could that not benefit the company?

Samantha Lile is a 2002 Missouri State University graduate of journalism and mass media. She has served as a reporter and editor for various newspapers throughout her journalism career. She made the leap into writing full-time after working for a major financial institution since 2000.

Because of her banking background, Samantha is knowledgeable in finance reporting, but is also strong in commentaries, personal profiles, youth studies, horticulture, history and entertainment-related works.

Samantha lives in Ozark, Mo. with her husband of nine years, four dogs and two cats.